The raft surged forward with the current, finally tumbling into the lake as it was carried by a rushing rapid. The momentum threw Qin Li straight into the icy water.
Coldness engulfed her from all directions, stealing her breath.
Panic set in. She instinctively flailed her arms, fully expecting to struggle like she had last time. "Help! I can't swim!" she screamed.
Through the haze of her panic, she spotted Yan Sen standing right in front of her, smiling.
Wait—standing?
Before she could process why he wasn't floating like her, she latched onto him like an octopus, wrapping herself around him in sheer desperation.
Yan Sen chuckled, his voice vibrating through his chest. He easily grabbed her by the arms and lifted her upright. Her feet touched the lakebed—smooth, round pebbles beneath her soles. The water barely reached her waist.
Qin Li: "…"
Kill me now.
Yan Sen's smirk deepened, dimples flashing in amusement. He was holding back laughter, she could tell.
Mortified, Qin Li quickly unwrapped herself from him and took a step back. "I wasn't scared of dying," she declared, trying to salvage some dignity. "I just…"
Yan Sen folded his arms, waiting.
Her brain short-circuited. "Okay, fine! I was scared. But only because I haven't slept with you yet, so I can't die!"
As soon as the words left her mouth, she froze.
Yan Sen arched a brow, clearly entertained.
"No, wait! That's not what I meant!" Qin Li waved her hands frantically. "I—I hit my head in the water! I was talking nonsense! It doesn't count!"
Yan Sen's smirk widened. "I understand."
Qin Li narrowed her eyes. "Understand what?"
"That you'd regret dying without sleeping with me first."
Qin Li nearly choked. "No! I mean—hypothetically speaking, if I died before we slept together, that would suck. Not that I want to sleep with you, I just—ugh, I'm digging my own grave here."
Her dignity had been declining ever since she arrived for this so-called matchmaking.
Yan Sen suddenly grabbed her wrist and pulled her toward him. One hand cupped her cheek, brushing away wet strands of hair.
Then, he kissed her.
The moment his warm lips met hers, her mind went blank.
It wasn't a frantic, devouring kiss. It wasn't aggressive or rushed. It was slow, teasing—pulling her in, making her yearn for more. His scent, a mix of fresh grass and faint tobacco, wrapped around her senses, making her dizzy.
Without realizing it, Qin Li rose onto her toes and deepened the kiss, wrapping her arms around his shoulders.
She had always been a passive partner in relationships. When she was with Sun Yi, she had simply followed his lead. He had called her a wooden doll—unresponsive, lifeless.
But now… now she wanted.
If Sun Yi saw her like this, he'd probably be shocked out of his mind.
The world seemed to fade away—the sound of rushing water, the cries of birds overhead, everything blurred into nothingness. The lake was like a mirror, reflecting the sky, the trees, and their entwined figures.
Qin Li had always thought Yan Sen was incapable of romance, but right now, this moment was the most romantic thing she had ever experienced.
When the kiss finally ended, she looked up at him. The sunlight illuminated his face, making him seem larger than life.
Reaching out, she traced his sharp jawline, as if confirming that he was real and not some perfectly painted portrait.
Yan Sen caught her hand and pressed a kiss to her cheek. His lips brushed against her ear as he murmured, "Do you really want to sleep with me that badly?"
Still dazed, Qin Li instinctively nodded.
Yan Sen chuckled, dimples deepening. "Tonight, then. As you wish."
Wait.
Why does it sound like I'm the one who's been desperate for this?!
Qin Li's mind spiraled.
What if they actually—wait, they hadn't even prepared anything! What if—no, no, stop overthinking!
Before she could collect herself, the romantic atmosphere shattered.
A loud thud and an even louder shriek echoed through the air.
Thomas.
His raft had landed gracefully on the lake's surface, unlike Qin Li's disastrous fall earlier. Spotting them, Yan Sen casually scooped up a handful of water and flung it at his brother.
"Hey!" Thomas bellowed, immediately retaliating.
What started as a playful splash fight quickly escalated into an all-out water war.
Qu Dani and the production crew, drawn by the commotion, rushed over. Soon, those willing to get wet had joined the fray, and the peaceful lake became a battleground.
Qin Li took advantage of the chaos to slip away to shore.
Qu Dani greeted her with a towel. "So?"
Qin Li blinked. "So… what?"
"Don't play dumb." Qu Dani smirked. "Did you two make any progress?"
Thinking about the kiss, Qin Li's cheeks warmed.
Qu Dani's eyes widened in delight. "Oh my god, you did! Spill! Details!"
"…We kissed," Qin Li admitted.
"And? Any touching?"
"No!" Qin Li scolded. "We were in public!"
Qu Dani groaned. "You've been dating for a month, and this is all you've got? I swear, if Yan Sen turns out to be useless in bed, just say the word—I'll buy him Viagra."
Qin Li burst out laughing. "You're so nosy!"
"I'm invested," Qu Dani declared.
Qin Li shook her head, but before she could retort, a small crab scuttled near her foot.
"Crab!" she exclaimed.
Everyone turned to look.
Thomas snorted. "Yeah? So? Crabs live in water. What's the big deal?"
Qin Li ignored him, locking eyes with Qu Dani. The same thought struck them at once.
"Crab soup," they said in unison.
"Do we have a net?" Qin Li asked.
Thomas rummaged through his bags—his endless stash of random items—and tossed her a net.
"And a bucket," she added.
Thomas handed it over.
Qu Dani chuckled. "Dude, you're like a walking Doraemon."
Thomas frowned. "What's a Doraemon?"
Qin Li and Qu Dani burst into laughter. Some jokes, only those from the same culture truly understood.
The lake's water was so clear that the sunlight cast perfect ripples on the bottom. Fish darted beneath the surface in shimmering schools.
Qin Li dipped the net and scooped up a handful of them. "We're feasting tonight!" she announced.
Before she could start planning the meal, Yan Sen walked over. Without a word, he took the net from her hands and dumped all the fish back into the water.
"HEY!" Qin Li protested. "What are you doing?!"
"Too small," Yan Sen said simply.
"They're fish!" Qin Li argued. "We could fry them with salt—crispy and delicious—"
"They're juveniles," Yan Sen cut in. "Fishing regulations prohibit catching them."
"…What?"
Thomas chimed in, "There's a local law about it. To maintain ecological balance, you have to release small fish. If you get caught keeping them, you'll be fined three hundred euros."
Qin Li scoffed. "Who's even going to check in this middle-of-nowhere place?"
Yan Sen's expression remained serious. "It's not about fines. It's about integrity. Rules exist to be followed."
Qin Li flushed. She had never been one to care much for rules.
Fine. No fish.
She sighed, shifting her focus.
"Then we're catching crabs."
Beneath the crystal-clear lake, something scuttled across the rocks. Qin Li narrowed her eyes and grinned—it was a huge crab.
She immediately signaled for silence, lowering the net with utmost caution. Just as the crab moved, she swooped in and scooped it up.
"Got it!" she cheered.
Before she could bask in her victory, Yan Sen's voice cut in.
"That…"
Qin Li's stomach dropped. "What? Don't tell me there's a regulation against catching crabs too?"
Yan Sen let out a chuckle. "No."
She exhaled in relief.
But then he glanced at the crab's menacing pincers and asked, "People actually eat these things?"
Qin Li gave him an incredulous look. "They're a delicacy!"
Yan Sen still seemed skeptical.
She and Qu Dani spent the next half-hour hunting, their efforts rewarded with a half-bucket of crabs—some weighing nearly half a pound, others smaller but still worth eating.
Qu Dani licked her lips, imagining a rich seafood soup. "This is the best surprise ever."
With their bounty secured, Qin Li carried the bucket back to camp, changed into dry clothes, and emerged from the tent just in time to hear Qu Dani whining, "When's dinner?!"
Hunger was setting in. Crab soup would take some time, but at least they had snacks to tide them over.
Or so Qin Li thought.
She went to retrieve the food she had painstakingly prepared the day before—but after searching every bag, she found nothing.
Frowning, she turned to Qu Dani. "Where did you put the snacks I made?"
"In the big yellow grocery bag," Qu Dani replied. "Didn't you check there?"
"I did. They're not there."
Qu Dani went to double-check the car. Still nothing. "That's weird. I saw Thomas take them out and put them near the grill."
"I'll go ask him."
On her way to the lake, she nearly collided with Jenny.
Jenny glared at her with undisguised hostility, as if Qin Li had personally ruined her life.
"Bitch," she spat.
Qin Li almost shot back with an insult but decided against it. She wasn't about to get into a full-on brawl with a crazy ex-wife in the middle of nowhere. What if Jenny actually attacked her? Losing a fight would be humiliating. So, she took the high road and walked away.
Still, her mood soured. All this nonsense was Thomas's fault—why had he brought Jenny along in the first place?
At the lakeside, the men were still swimming and messing around. Qin Li cupped her hands and yelled, "Thomas! Where's the bag of snacks I made?!"
"By the grill!" he shouted back.
"No, it's not."
Thomas looked confused. "It has to be."
"Well, it's not!"
Finally, Thomas heaved himself out of the water, dried off quickly, and followed her back to camp. After turning everything upside down, they confirmed—the bag was gone.
"I swear I left it here," Thomas muttered. "Right with the meat from the supermarket."
The store-bought meat was untouched, but all of Qin Li's homemade food had vanished. If an animal had taken it, it would've grabbed everything, not just one specific bag. And besides, the area looked undisturbed—no signs of a scavenger rummaging through their supplies.
Frustrated, Thomas groaned. "Where the hell did it go?!"
The commotion drew Yan Sen and the others over.
"What's going on?" Yan Sen asked.
"Qin Li's snacks disappeared," Thomas said.
"Could you have forgotten them at home?" someone suggested.
Thomas shook his head like a drum. "No way. I know I brought them."
"I saw them too," Qu Dani confirmed.
"Then where the hell did they go?"
Thomas looked absolutely devastated. "That bag had my favorite pan-fried dumplings…"
Qu Dani sighed. "And my shumai…"
Someone else mumbled, "And the soy-braised duck…"
The list of missing delicacies went on.
The director deadpanned, "I hope we're not filming a horror movie."
That sent a chill down Qin Li's spine. She and Qu Dani exchanged uneasy glances.
"Director," Qin Li warned, "please don't joke like that."
Stomach growls soon overpowered their suspicions, and Yan Sen suggested, "Let's just start the barbecue."
Everyone readily agreed.
Yan Sen set up the grill and arranged the coals. As he reached for the lighter, he paused. "We need kindling. Thomas, take some people and gather dry wood."
Thomas immediately rallied a few others and marched off toward the forest.
Qin Li, still brooding over her missing food, suddenly had a more pressing concern. "Are there… bears in this forest?"
Yan Sen shook his head. "No."
"What about wolves?"
"Nope. Wolves and bears were driven out of Europe over a century ago."
Qin Li frowned. "What if they secretly immigrated back?"
Yan Sen laughed. "They didn't."
"How do you know?"
"Because I'm a farmer."
Qin Li rolled her eyes. "Farmers aren't encyclopedias."
Yan Sen smirked. "Every June, I take the cows up into the mountains for summer grazing. I stay there for weeks. If there were bears or wolves, I'd have seen them."
"Just because you haven't seen them doesn't mean they aren't there," Qin Li countered.
Before Yan Sen could reply, the director chimed in, "Relax. If anything does show up, it'll eat the weakest member first."
Qin Li's face fell.
She ran the worst-case scenario in her head:
Running? She was slow.
Swimming? She'd drown.
Climbing trees? She'd fall.
Yeah… I'm the weakest member.
Before she could argue, a sharp scream rang out from the forest.
Thomas.
Qin Li bolted upright. "See?! I told you there could be wild animals!"