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To Xu Nuan, what seemed like a simple statement from Gu Ze carried immense weight; no one understood better than her how important and dangerous that existence was.
"I understand now. I'm sorry, I lost my composure."
Xu Nuan's expression warmed as she was comforted by those words, her complexion improving significantly. She truly appreciated Gu Ze's excellence; it felt wonderful to selfishly receive help from such a person.
Seeing Xu Nuan like this, Gu Ze felt relieved. Suddenly, a thought crossed his mind.
"Don't forget that Zhang Xiao cannot harm me. When necessary, I can be considered a secret weapon."
This was something from long ago. After parting ways with Zhang Xiao, many events had unfolded, and Xu Nuan did not have a deep impression of it. Now, suddenly brought up by Gu Ze, she felt momentarily dazed.
"This is merely our speculation; there is no substantial evidence. It could be a trap left by that fox, Zhang Xiao. Let's set that option aside for now."
Realizing something abruptly, Xu Nuan quickly dismissed that conclusion and added a few hasty remarks.
"As you said, since we are about to deduce that location, let's set up a trap and not do what he expects."
Xu Nuan gave Gu Ze no chance to say more and made her decision unilaterally.
"For now, we should hurry through this challenge. Two other groups will be back soon; let's see if they have any news."
Without looking back at Gu Ze, Xu Nuan hurried past him toward the cave, her retreating figure suggesting a sense of urgency.
Watching Xu Nuan's back, Gu Ze smiled slightly before turning to head back himself. After taking a few steps, he suddenly stopped and turned to look at the misty rain behind him, narrowing his eyes slightly as a glint of sharpness flickered in their depths.
Heavy Rain was indeed a place of concealment.
When Xu Nuan and Gu Ze returned to the cave, the other two groups had not yet come back. Deng Yinyin seemed to have had a quarrel with Zhang Hui and Chi Xiaoming, pouting angrily as she glared at the wall beside her. Upon seeing them return, she shifted her glare toward them.
Everyone who had spent a long time with Deng Yinyin had learned to automatically shield themselves from her ever-changing emotions. In their eyes, Deng Yinyin was merely a spoiled child who had yet to grow up, and based on her consistent behavior, that seemed accurate. She could be careless and unrepentant, showing a hint of selfishness; if her opinions were not agreed upon, she would throw tantrums and blame others indiscriminately. This temperament was likely shaped by her upbringing, as Xu Hang explained that being the youngest in her family meant she was doted on by a series of older relatives. At school, she was often cared for by seniors and friends, and now in the company, Xu Hang, her future brother-in-law, looked after her as well. Naturally, this dynamic extended into the game, making Deng Yinyin the one among them who had changed the least and grown the slowest.
Not growing up quickly was not necessarily a bad thing, and for now, everyone could still accept and understand Deng Yinyin's behavior. Thus, they refrained from excessive criticism or misguided attempts to teach her. Moreover, the choice of whether to mature in this extremely dangerous game lay in Deng Yinyin's hands; no one else could interfere regardless of their intentions.
Xu Nuan and the others shared this tacit understanding and chose to ignore Deng Yinyin's dissatisfaction at that moment. Little did they know that such actions would only foster some dark emotions within her. Once these feelings spread unchecked in the shadows, they could erupt with tremendous force; however, that was a matter for another time.
It seemed Chi Xiaoming had already learned about their group's findings from Zhang Hui or Deng Yinyin, as he did not ask Gu Ze any questions.
Time flowed along with the rain. According to the System's prompt, this Heavy Rain would last for three days; furthermore, each time someone misnamed it would add another day. They were uncertain whether to hope for the Heavy Rain to cease after the third day or to use the continuing downpour to gauge how many teams remained in this round.
Before long, He Min's group returned as well. From a distance, Xu Nuan and the others heard Fan Beibei's voice—pleasant yet tinged with a feminine charm—though its content was quite harsh and almost like a barrage of insults directed at He Min. Words like "bitch" and "shameless" flew out of Fan Beibei's mouth.
Xu Nuan and Deng Yinyin instinctively stood up but had to crouch back down due to the cave's low height. The team led by Xu Hang held a very favorable impression of He Min; part of it stemmed from her being Xu Nuan's friend, but more so from He Min's personal charisma. She was calm and gentle, hardworking without hesitation to help others. Not only Xu Hang and Xu Nuan but also Deng Yinyin and Xie Huai held He Min in high regard—more so than they did Xu Nuan. Xu Nuan herself did not mind this; she was the type who either remained silent for long periods or started off by sarcastically criticizing everyone around her. Although she had gradually become kinder under Gu Ze's influence, it was nowhere near as effective as He Min's approach.
Because of this dynamic, Fan Beibei’s derogatory remarks prompted an unexpected alliance between Xu Nuan and Deng Yinyin—two individuals who usually clashed.
Xu Nuan noticed that Yu Yu, known for being gentle and well-liked, did not step in to mediate while He Min remained silent in response to Fan Beibei’s tirade. This struck Xu Nuan as odd; while He Min might have a mild demeanor, she was inherently proud and resilient—not someone easily bullied unless she truly had done something inappropriate.
These thoughts occupied Xu Nuan for just a few seconds before He Min’s trio reached the cave entrance. They quickly changed out of their raincoats before bending down to enter the cave. The expressions on their faces became visible to those inside.
He Min looked particularly grim; her lips were pressed tightly together without uttering a word, but the veins on her forehead betrayed her emotions. Yu Yu wore a smile that seemed subdued; there was a slight furrow in her brow that hinted at some distress. Fan Beibei’s striking face appeared somewhat distorted due to the anger in her bright eyes and her incessantly moving mouth.
Once inside the cave, Fan Beibei continued berating He Min. When she exclaimed something like "I've never seen such a shameless woman like you who still has eyes for taken men; are you that empty?" Xu Nuan could no longer sit idly by. She pulled He Min behind her defensively and shot an unhappy glance at Fan Beibei while keeping an eye on Yu Yu’s reaction—last night’s unusual behavior from Yu Yu lingered in her mind.
"Please mind your words. Acting like this in front of so many people only shows your insecurity and malice."
Xu Nuan, who preferred silence, always turned up the heat when protecting her friends. She was considered by Fan Beibei to be a woman lacking charm, from her looks to her figure to her personality. This only fueled Fan Beibei's anger, especially seeing Xu Nuan standing up for He Min, which made her even more dissatisfied.
"Insecure? Ha, what a joke. Let's see clearly who is truly insecure here."
Fan Beibei scoffed, casting a haughty glance at the pale and unattractive He Min. Suddenly, she turned to Chi Xiaoming and the others, using a flirtatious tone.
"Captain, you need to help me settle this."
Chi Xiaoming merely glanced at her with an expressionless face before looking at the silent Yu Yu who had entered the cave. He spoke seriously.
"Your personal matters should be resolved privately. What I want to know more is whether your team has found any clues. Do you have any suspects or discovered traces of other teams?"
Chi Xiaoming was not swayed by Fan Beibei's looks; his attitude remained stern and formal, just like his overall demeanor. It was a pity for his handsome face.
The smile that Fan Beibei forced out immediately froze. A flash of anger quickly crossed her beautiful eyes as she turned to Zhang Hui.
"Brother Hui, you have to help me out here. This woman has been throwing flirtatious glances at Yu Yu all along and even deliberately made physical contact with him. When I caught her, she refused to admit it. How disgusting can she be?"
Zhang Hui awkwardly responded a few times, his gaze also flashing with anger as he looked at the silent Yu Yu.
Seeing her friend being insulted repeatedly like this left Xu Nuan no choice but to speak up. As Fan Beibei turned back to disdainfully look at He Min again, Xu Nuan interjected.
"Perhaps it would be more reasonable for Yu Yu to explain this matter himself. If you keep talking nonsense, don't blame me for being rude."
Xu Nuan's expression was extremely serious, and her entire demeanor had changed dramatically. A fierce aura radiated towards Fan Beibei, who shrank back in fear and moved closer to Yu Yu, tugging at his hand in a show of affection.
"Yu, can't you just stand up for me? That woman is clearly trying to seduce you; someone like her isn't worthy of your attention."
Now it wasn't just Xu Nuan who was angry; Gu Ze and Deng Yinyin also shot unkind glances at Fan Beibei. It was intolerable for them to hear one of their companions referred to as "someone like her." They were in a dangerous game, not in the cutthroat environment of an urban company, and Fan Beibei's behavior was quite displeasing.
Xu Nuan stepped forward, her hands clenched into fists, itching to rush over and give Fan Beibei a good beating. She glanced at Chi Xiaoming, who was indifferent to the situation, and spoke slowly and deliberately.
"Captain Chi, I personally believe it would be better to resolve this matter before discussing the cooperation between our teams. Your team member's casual insult towards my companion makes me seriously doubt your team's sincerity."
"Hey, who do you think you are, woman? How dare you speak to our captain like that?"
Fan Beibei, clearly dissatisfied, released Yu Yu, who had been silently casting complicated glances at He Min, and turned her attention back to Chi Xiaoming.
Provoked by Xu Nuan's challenge, Chi Xiaoming could no longer sit still. Like Xu Nuan, he sought out the most qualified person in this matter—Yu Yu.
"Explain the whole situation; don't waste everyone's time any longer."
Yu Yu finally withdrew his gaze from He Min, who had been silent but looking increasingly uncomfortable. Just as he was about to speak, He Min reached out and pulled Xu Nuan aside, taking the initiative to speak up.
"There’s nothing to explain. I like Yu Yu; it's as simple as that. It's Fan Beibei who's making such a fuss."
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