"Wang Yao, stop messing around, that's my boyfriend!"
Was she joking with me? Yang Mengfan had clearly come here with me; how could he just disappear?
"Xiang Qian, didn't you come here with someone? Haven't you seen your boyfriend? Are you feeling feverish or something?"
Wang Yao pressed her hand against my forehead, her eyes filled with concern.
Her touch sent a chill through me, the coldness biting in this deep mountain setting.
"I came here alone? How is that possible? There’s still..."
My voice trembled as I scanned the tent, desperately searching for any trace of Yang Mengfan's presence.
Inside the tent, my sleeping bag was tucked in the corner, and my bulging backpack leaned against it. All my gear was scattered in disarray.
The tent was small; I could see everything at a glance. Aside from my belongings, it was completely empty.
The items were indeed mine, but most of them were things I had bought together with Yang Mengfan.
Some were even matching items, split between us—my half lay there neatly, while his half had vanished without a trace.
My breathing quickened, a wave of cold rushing from my feet to the top of my head. How could this be happening?
Suddenly, my gaze landed on Yang Mengfan's military water bottle in the corner of the tent.
The deep green bottle bore the initials "Y&M," our names' first letters intertwined.
I grabbed the water bottle, its icy surface making me shiver.
"This water bottle belongs to Yang Mengfan. He always keeps it with him and never leaves it behind. If he hasn't been here, how could this water bottle be here?"
"Could it be your ex-boyfriend's?"
Wang Yao raised her slender eyebrows, her gaze flickering between me and the unconscious man, a teasing tone in her voice as she half-joked.
The suspicion sparkled in her almond-shaped eyes, clearly not fully convinced by my explanation.
I sighed helplessly and rubbed my aching temples.
"How could that be? I don't have an ex-boyfriend! I've only ever dated Yang Mengfan."
"Really?"
Wang Yao still seemed skeptical. She crossed her arms and scrutinized me from head to toe, her eyes filled with curiosity.
"I've never seen you with any boyfriends before."
"Come on, let's not talk about that right now. Xiang Qian, you should focus on resting," she said, her tone suddenly turning serious, concern creeping into her expression.
I opened my mouth to say something more but was cut off by Wang Yao's insistence.
With gentle hands, she tucked me into the warm sleeping bag as if I were a fragile porcelain doll.
Lying there, watching Wang Yao busy herself, I felt a mix of emotions swirling within me.
Wang Yao helped me zip up my sleeping bag and carefully checked it again to ensure I was snugly covered before sitting down beside me.
"Go to sleep," she said softly, gently patting my shoulder, her tone as tender as if she were soothing a child.
I opened my eyes to the dimness of the tent, illuminated only by the faint glow of a small light at the top.
Wang Yao had already fallen asleep, curled up like a lazy kitten, her breathing steady and deep.
I sighed softly and closed my eyes, but sleep eluded me.
I lay in the sleeping bag, tossing and turning, unable to find rest.
Yang Mengfan was missing, his fate uncertain. How could I possibly sleep here in peace?
I had to go back to look for him; even if there was just a glimmer of hope, I couldn't give up.
The sound of Wang Yao's even breathing came from beside me; she was deeply asleep.
Using the faint moonlight as my guide, I carefully wriggled out of the sleeping bag, trying not to make a sound.
As my head popped out of the tent, I caught sight of a guard sitting in front of me.
Fortunately, he seemed to be dozing off.
I held my breath, crouched low, and quietly slipped out of the camp.
The biting cold wind mixed with snowflakes hit my face, making me shiver uncontrollably, but I dared not stop. One thought consumed my mind: find Yang Mengfan!
I had successfully slipped out of the camp, retracing the route I remembered from my escape, carefully searching for any possible clues.
However, apart from the endless white snow, there was nothing.
The wind and snow seemed to have erased all traces—no signs of a struggle, no footprints, not even a drop of blood.
Where on earth had Yang Mengfan gone?
Just as despair began to creep in, my gaze suddenly landed on a snow mound not far away, where something seemed to glimmer faintly.
I hurried over and brushed aside the snow covering it, revealing an Engineering Shovel!
The shovel was stained with mottled blood, standing out starkly against the white backdrop.
My breath caught in my throat, and my heart raced.
If everything before was real, why was there no other trace left besides this shovel? If this was all just an illusion, how could I explain this shovel?
I gripped the bloodied Engineering Shovel tightly, filled with fear and worry. Yang Mengfan, where are you? Are you still alive?
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