Volume One, Chapter 8: Lu Xiuyi: "Jump Down."

The Tibetan mastiff was right there, baring its sharp teeth at Jiang Yuan. She didn’t even have the chance to run into the yard to seek help.

“Woof! Woof!” The sharp, urgent barking gradually grew louder.

Just a second before the mastiff lunged at her, Jiang Yuan swiftly dodged to the side and immediately sprinted forward.

She didn’t dare look back; her ears were filled with the deep, fierce growls, making her heart race wildly.

“Help! Someone drive the dog away! Help!” Jiang Yuan shouted as she ran, not caring if her cries would further enrage the fierce dog behind her.

She deeply regretted not going in with Lu Xiuyi.

Her breathing grew more rapid and uneven, her strength fading with every frantic step, while the dog’s howls became increasingly piercing and aggressive.

She pinned all her hopes on the old locust tree just a few meters away. Just as the beast was about to bite her backside, she nimbly scrambled up the tree in a flash.

“Phew.” Jiang Yuan gasped for breath, finally able to relax for a moment.

“Woof! Woof, woof! Woof…” The mastiff lurked beneath the tree, ready to leap up at any moment, its vicious fangs bared fiercely.

Jiang Yuan fixed her gaze on the dog below and shouted loudly for help from her perch.

“Someone, please come quickly and help me!”

She only wished Lu Xiuyi would realize she wasn’t there and come looking for her soon.

Time passed, until suddenly—“Crack”—her nerves tightened. She looked in disbelief at the branch she was sitting on, where cracks had begun to form.

Heavens, she felt like she was about to burst with stress.

Jiang Yuan hurriedly clutched the thickest branch, uncertain how long her weight could be supported. She prayed for someone to come soon.

“Woof! Woof!” The mastiff continued barking fiercely below.

Meanwhile, Lu Xiuyi, having just finished registering and stepping out of the production team office, looked around but saw no sign of Jiang Yuan, his brow furrowing with confusion.

At that moment, he overheard villagers chatting by the doorway.

“I just saw the village chief’s Tibetan mastiff running past,” one said.

“Really? It’s usually tied up. Who let it loose?”

“No one knows.”

Lu Xiuyi couldn’t help but connect the dots between these two events, his brow knitting tighter as a faint worry wrapped around his heart.

Following the direction the villager mentioned, he strode off to search for Jiang Yuan.

The sunset cast its fading glow through the leaves, dappling Jiang Yuan’s face as she clung tightly to the locust tree, peering out for Lu Xiuyi’s figure.

So much time had passed—why hadn’t he come yet?

The mastiff below seemed tired as well, resting on all fours, as if gathering strength to pounce when she came down.

“Jump down,” a familiar voice called from below.

Jiang Yuan’s heart leapt with joy as she looked down: it was Lu Xiuyi. At last, he had come. In that moment, she forgot all the unpleasantness that had passed between them.

“Be careful,” she warned, noticing the mastiff preparing to launch at him.

Lu Xiuyi turned his head to the dog, narrowing his eyes. It was indeed the village chief’s dog.

The beast crouched silently, front legs bent, then suddenly thrust off the ground and lunged at Lu Xiuyi.

Without dodging, Lu Xiuyi unexpectedly delivered a powerful kick to the mastiff’s abdomen just as it leapt, the heavy thud echoing on the ground.

“Whimper… howl…” The mastiff collapsed, whimpering in pain and fear, eyes meeting Lu Xiuyi’s as it tucked its tail silently.

Lu Xiuyi did not pull his kick, so he wasn’t worried the dog would dare attack again. He looked up at Jiang Yuan and said with pursed lips, “You can come down now.”

Jiang Yuan finally climbed down, her legs still weak as she faced the mastiff below, still feeling afraid.

On the way home, she stuck close to Lu Xiuyi, frequently glancing back, fearful the dog might still be chasing them.

“Xiaoyuan, Xiuyi, why are you home so late?” Li Lianhua asked as she peeked out from the kitchen.

Jiang Yuan was at a loss for words.

Lu Xiuyi answered, “We were chased by the village chief’s dog.”

Though he didn’t specify who, Li Lianhua immediately assumed it was Jiang Yuan and ran out of the kitchen in alarm.

“Xiaoyuan, are you okay? Were you bitten anywhere? Let Xiuyi take a look.”

“Mom, I climbed up the tree and wasn’t bitten,” Jiang Yuan said, grasping Li Lianhua’s arm to reassure her.

But Lu Xiuyi said it was the village chief’s dog? Ha! Jiang Yuan instantly knew who had set the dog on her—Li Qingmei! She gritted her teeth, vowing silently to deal with her.

That night, back in the house, the two slipped back into their previous cold silence. After washing up, Jiang Yuan pulled back her covers and lay down, not waiting for Lu Xiuyi, turning off the light.

When he returned, the room was shrouded in darkness.

In the black night, their faces were unseen, only the sound of their breathing rising and falling could be heard.

It was the quietest night they had shared since their wedding—silent, tense, with Jiang Yuan falling asleep harboring anger and resentment.

The next morning, Jiang Yuan woke an hour earlier than usual, but unlike before, she deliberately made noise, refusing to keep quiet to avoid waking Lu Xiuyi. Only when she saw his black eyes open did she stop, satisfied.

Damn him. If she couldn’t sleep, he shouldn’t either.

Watching her triumphant retreat, Lu Xiuyi rubbed his brow and simply threw off the covers, getting up as well.

Just as Jiang Yuan stepped out of the outhouse, she unexpectedly ran into Lu Xiuyi, who had also gotten up. Jiang Yuan refused to admit it was because she had woken him.

Stiff-necked, she ignored him and passed by, their cold stares still not meeting.

Even Li Lianhua and her husband noticed the tension between the two. Li Lianhua nudged Lu Xiuyi’s father, Lu Fengnan, telling him to find a chance to ask his son what was wrong.

“Mm,” Lu Fengnan grunted in agreement, turning to shoot a displeased look at his son.

Lu Xiuyi ignored his father’s silent reproach and continued with his tasks.

Li Lianhua, growing anxious, slapped Lu Fengnan on the back and urged him to go talk to their son while Jiang Yuan was back inside.

Lu Fengnan, bewildered by his wife’s slap, took out his frustration on his son, approaching with a stern tone.

“What’s going on between you two?”

“Nothing.”

“Oh, then take good care of your wife and don’t make your mother worry.”

“…”

Their brief exchange ended quickly, and Lu Fengnan returned to Li Lianhua.

“All set?” she asked, puzzled.

“Mm,” he replied. The message was delivered. Well… that was something, at least.