Fang Qiang and Lin Wan were nowhere to be found. The three of them turned their horses around to look for them but were greeted by an empty field. The both of them had disappeared along with their horses.

Anxious, Li Mu exclaimed, “Xinzhu, you were right behind us. Did you see where they went? Why are they all missing?”

“Oh no! Brother Mu, could it be possible that they are in danger too? Let’s split up to find them!”

“Okay, head back now to get help from more people. All of you can focus on the left side of the field while Xiaoyu and I will do the searching on the other side.”

Li Mu was very anxious. The sudden disappearance of his wife caused him to break out in cold sweat.

He had a bad feeling about this.

His heart was racing. With a command, he turned his horse around with He Xiaoyu and headed towards the right.

He yelled for Lin Wan and Fang Qiang at the top of his lungs along the way, in hopes of locating them.

If something bad had really happened to his wife, he wouldn’t have had a reason to live on anymore.

The field was large and surrounded by trees. After the two of them had searched around on their horses for some time, He Xiaoyu pulled on Li Mu’s horse’s reins and advised, “Li Mu, don’t go any further. You’ll easily get lost in the woods ahead.”

“I haven’t found her yet. I’m worried.”

Li Mu couldn’t finish his sentence. He Xiaoyu reassured, “Maybe they left before we did? It’s not impossible, you know. Let’s go back and meet up with the others first. We’ll come up with a way to find them afterward.”

“They left before we did?” Li Mu was a little confused. What He Xiaoyu said made sense, but what could be going on between them? Why did they choose to leave everyone behind and leave before everyone else did?

Sensing Li Mu’s hesitation, He Xiaoyu said softly, “Li Mu, maybe nothing bad happened to them at all, and they were just using this opportunity to spend time together alone. Don’t blame me for being nosy, but I highly suspect that there’s something fishy going on between them!”

Astonished, Li Mu looked at He Xiaoyu with surprise. Only she had the audacity to speak like that in front of him. If it had been someone else, Li Mu would’ve lashed at the speaker with his horsewhip without further hesitation.

The latter turned Li Mu’s horse around and walked back with him side by side. “Li Mu, one of them is your wife, and the other one is your childhood friend. Both of them are the people you trust most. You treat them as your family, so it’s not surprising if you missed out anything unusual.”

“What did you notice?” Li Mu asked with a frown.

“His gaze. Notice the way Fang Qiang looked at Lin Wan? Don’t forget that I’m a beautiful woman myself. I can easily recognize that gaze. It’s filled with adore, desire, and possession. It’s definitely that look in his eyes. I can never go wrong!”

“That doesn’t mean anything. I didn’t sense anything wrong between them. Lin Wan is not that kind of person. I trust her.”

Li Mu’s words made He Xiaoyu scoff. She said disdainfully, “Lin Wan is also a beautiful woman herself. There is no way she did not notice Fang Qiang’s abnormal behavior towards her. If she’s as good as you say her to be, why didn’t she be honest with you? Why didn’t she warn you about this? Could it be because she enjoys vague relationships like this, or because she enjoys attention from other men?

“I don’t think she is what you say her to be. If she craves attention from other men, she wouldn’t have chosen to marry me. With her standards, she could’ve easily found a man better than me. She is a good woman, unlike manipulative women who pretend to be pure and innocent like what you mentioned.

“Li Mu, I am not talking nonsense. Alas, you are too big-hearted and too willing to trust the people around you. Let me remind you. Do you still remember what Fang Qiang’s wife said just now?”

Li Mu froze. To be honest, he heard what Du Xinzhu said clearly. He did not understand what she really meant at first, and chose to deliberately forget about it afterward.

Now that He Xiaoyu mentioned it again, he couldn’t help but have a hint of doubt.

The hints were too obvious in her words. Although she didn’t finish her sentence, her indications were clear, “Be careful of your friend!”

So, what exactly was she warning to be careful of? There were no financial dealings between him and Fang Qiang. The two of them had their own careers and family, and there was no conflict between them. His family wasn’t that wealthy to the point of being targeted by others, so what did he need to be careful of?

The answer was obvious. It was for him to beware of his good friend who had irrational thoughts about his wife. He knew that his beautiful wife was a goddess in the hearts of many men. Could it be that Du Xinzhu noticed something unusual and took that opportunity to remind him indirectly?

Li Mu was reminded of the previous incident. In their last gathering, Du Xinzhu who was drunk said something that made his wife very angry, “If you were to guard your own gates well, there is no way for thieves to enter!” Was that a form of reminder either?

Frustration gushed over him. Li Mu did not want to link both Fang Qiang and Lin Wan together, as one was his closest friend while the other was his lover. If the two of them betrayed him together, he would totally lose faith in humanity.

“No, even if Fang Qiang had such intentions, Lin Wan is not the type of person to cheat on me. I insist that she’s a good woman, and I trust her with all my might!”

Li Mu voiced out firmly, yet his tone sounded a little wary.

“Humph, Li Mu, even if she’s a good woman and is not cheating just for the sake of you, she is definitely not a good wife. The two of you aren’t even on the same page. I have always believed that the marriage between you and her should’ve never happened.”

“Enough, stop talking about it. What’s important now is for us to find them!”

“Li Mu, can you listen to my advice? Indecisiveness leads to disaster. Do you really want to be hurt by her before you can finally come to your senses? File a divorce. You are not each other’s cup of tea!”

“Stop it, it’s annoying me!”

Li Mu nudged the horse’s belly gently with his foot and trotted ahead, while He Xiaoyu followed hurriedly.

Following the same path, they returned to the field. What welcomed them was Lin Wan galloping on her horse towards them. Upon seeing her husband, Lin Wan asked with a crying tone, “Honey, are you alright? Did that man hurt you?”

“Where have you been?” Li Mu asked unhappily.

Lin Wan froze for a moment. Her husband was treating her differently. He acted coldly instead of being surprised and relieved upon the reunion. Was he suspecting her?

“My horse got frightened and charged straight into the woods over there. It was Fang Qiang who brought me back.” Lin Wan explained hurriedly.

“What a coincidence, your horse got frightened right after we left, and then you went into the woods with another man. When we were out here fighting for our lives with the killer, you and your warrior were having a real-life depiction of a prince saving his princess. Isn’t that so touching?” He Xiaoyu scoffed.

“He Xiaoyu!” With her hands trembling slightly due to anger, Lin Wan glared at her.

He Xiaoyu lifted her mount and went over to Lin Wan’s side to look at her horse. After a few glances, she sneered, lifted her leg, and kicked Lin Wan’s horse on the buttocks with all her might.

The big white horse snorted, took two steps to the side, and stood still.

“He Xiaoyu, what the h*ll are you doing?” Lin Wan asked angrily.

“Sorry, I shouldn’t have kicked your horse. But I just wanted to let Li Mu know that these horses are in fact professionally trained, so they do not get frightened easily. On top of that, there are no external injuries on its body, no white foam in its mouth and nose, not to mention the absence of snake and insect bites. Lin Wan, don’t you think your lie is a little too naive?”

“Honey, don’t listen to her.”

“The horse wasn’t frightened, was it?” Li Mu asked coldly.

“No, the horse was frightened for sure. He Xiaoyu is talking nonsense. Don’t believe her.”

“Who should I believe if not her? She is my savior and my ride-or-die friend. If I don’t believe her, should I believe a woman who is full of lies and having private meetups with my childhood friend in the woods instead?”

Lin Wan’s face turned pale, and her eyes red. She no longer bothered to explain herself. She turned her horse’s around and walked alone towards the entrance.

Fang Qiang and his wife rushed over, too. When they ran into Lin Wan who was walking towards them, Du Xinzhu asked considerately, “Lin Wan, where are you going? Why are you leaving on your own?”

Lin Wan ignored them and walked past the couple.

“Huh, what happened?” Du Xinzhu was confused.

Fang Qiang tugged at her sleeve and waved, signaling her to not enquire further.

Upon seeing Li Mu walk over to them, Fang Qiang hurriedly went up to him and asked, “I heard that the two of you were in danger. What happened? Are you alright?”

“We’re fine. You’ve suffered too!” Li Mu emphasized the word “suffered”.

Fang Qiang looked slightly embarrassed but returned normal almost immediately.

“Li Mu, I’m really sorry. Lin Wan’s horse got frightened all of a sudden, so I went after her horse immediately and didn’t have time to help out. I’m sorry, bro. You can hit or scold me as you wish.”

“Never mind. Let’s go back!” Li Mu responded nonchalantly, patted the horse’s back, and left together with He Xiaoyu beside him.

After seeing them walk away, Du Xinzhu muttered in dissatisfaction, “What was that? We invited them to join us yet they’re showing us faces like this! What’s wrong with them?”

“Cut the crap!” Fang Qiang chided impatiently.

“What? Now I don’t even have the rights to talk? Let me ask you. What were you and Lin Wan doing in the woods?”

“How many times do you need me to repeat? Her horse got frightened, and I went to save her. Am I supposed to just watch her land herself into danger without help?”

“How funny. Why did her horse get frightened right when we left? Don’t you think it’s too coincidental?”

“Don’t ask me. Ask the horse instead!”

Fang Qiang responded sulkily and chased after Li Mu with his horse.

At the entrance of the field, Lin Wan was already waiting there with her horse. Upon seeing her husband, she ran over immediately. Pulling his horse’s reins, she said in grief, “Honey, don’t be angry. I will never leave you again and will always be with you, forever and ever, until the moment death does us part.”

Li Mu had already calmed himself down on the way back. He got down the horse and took her in his arms, saying softly, “There’s no need to talk about it so tragically. I won’t always encounter that kind of lunatic. It’s okay. Don’t feel guilty about it.”

“I’m sorry honey. I shouldn’t have let you go horseracing. It’s all my fault. I’m really sorry that I wasn’t there for you when you were in danger.”

Lin Wan hugged her husband and sobbed profusely. She was indeed scared and blamed herself a lot. If something really happened to her husband, she would definitely lose all reasons to live on.

“Humph, seems like someone is trying to divert the topic. You haven’t explained what happened in the woods. Don’t you think you can run away with that,” He Xiaoyu said slowly and methodically.

“He Xiaoyu, you saved my husband, so I’ll always be grateful for what you did. Hence, no matter how much you slander, accuse, or spread rumors about me, I will take it as it is. But I must remind you that there’s a limit to everything, including my patience.”

Lin Wan’s tone was calm without any hint of joy or anger. He Xiaoyu couldn’t care less and responded, “Oh, I’m so scared. What would happen if I crossed your limit? If you did nothing wrong, why should you be afraid of what people say about you?”

“You are right. I did nothing wrong. I will explain this matter clearly to my husband, but this is my family matter. Please know your place and stop poking your nose into things you shouldn’t be involved in.”

Seeing that they were about to fight again, Li Mu stepped in immediately, “Alright, that’s enough. We’re all here to have fun, right? Let’s have a good time together and not get into any more arguments.”

At that very moment, Fang Qiang and his wife arrived as well. The two women zipped their mouths shut. This was an argument between them, and neither Lin Wan nor He Xiaoyu was willing to let outsiders laugh at their drama.

“Li Mu, it’s still early. How about going to the hot spring next?” Fang Qiang yelled out loud.

“You’re the boss. Do what you want!” Li Mu responded with a smile.

On his way back, he thought about the matter seriously and concluded that Fang Qiang wouldn’t have done this to him. He was his best friend and they grew up together. He did not want to ruin this hard-won friendship because of unneeded suspicions like this.