"I... I..." Shelly Zhou's tears began to fall uncontrollably.
Raised in comfort and privilege since childhood, she was truly panicking now.
Cherry Miller felt her headache worsening and said, "Your phone is gone, and mine too. Now you can't move, so I'm the only one who can climb up and find help. Wait for me here..."
"No, don't! Don't leave me here alone!" Shelly Zhou panicked, grabbing Cherry Miller's arm and refusing to let her go first, no matter what.
When she had just fallen, that feeling of loneliness, of being abandoned and isolated—she never wanted to experience that again!
What if Cherry Miller left and never came back?
Shelly Zhou refused to let Cherry Miller leave first, no matter what.
Cherry Miller patiently explained to her, "We can't get far like this, and we won't even be able to climb up. It's going to rain soon."
"I don't care, you can't leave me! I'm a guest invited by the Yin Family, you can't just abandon me!" Shelly Zhou became even more frantic, clutching Cherry Miller's arm and rambling, "If you go, you'll never come back, right? You're just going to leave me here in the wilderness to fend for myself, aren't you? Is it because I went into Charles Yin's room that you have a problem with me? Yes, that's it! Jiang You mocked me for that, and you're here to laugh at me too, aren't you?"
Cherry Miller rubbed her forehead and patiently replied, "No, that's not going to happen. Sunset Manor values every guest, and you're a guest too. I'm not abandoning you. I'm just going to get help, and I promise I'll come back!"
"I'm not listening, I'm not listening, I'm not listening!" Shelly Zhou cried out, her face pale. "You can't go, you have to stay here with me!"
Faced with such unreasonable behavior from Shelly Zhou, Cherry Miller was truly at a loss for words.
With no other option, Cherry Miller couldn't go for help and could only support Shelly Zhou, inching their way up bit by bit.
Shelly Zhou's ankle was injured, and she couldn't put any weight on it. After a long struggle, the two of them hadn't even moved out of their little hollow.
At that moment, the sky grew even darker and more ominous.
Cherry Miller looked up at the sky and decisively said, "Just the two of us—I'm afraid we won't make it back."
"Then what do we do?" Shelly Zhou burst into tears again. "Wuwuwu, I don't want to die."
"No one's going to die. This is Sunset Manor, not some desolate wilderness!" Cherry Miller endured the ringing in her ears, looked around, and suddenly spotted a work shed down the slope.
The work shed was a place where the workers took breaks while working.
Since it wasn't harvest season yet, the workers didn't usually come by unless they had something to do.
There was no other choice—they had to take shelter from the rain over there for now.
"Shelly Zhou, I'll help you. Do you see that shed ahead? We have to get there before it starts raining!" Cherry Miller pointed at the distant shed. "If it pours, we won't be able to move at all! Even if it hurts, you need to push through, okay? The Yin Family's medicine is very effective—no matter how bad the injury, it can be cured! But if you get soaked, you might get a fever or pneumonia, and the wound will be much harder to heal. Do you understand?"
After Cherry Miller's calm and methodical persuasion, Shelly Zhou finally calmed down and nodded tearfully.
Cherry Miller was only 1.6 meters tall, so supporting Shelly Zhou made their progress especially slow.
But as long as they could still walk, there was hope.
Cherry Miller gritted her teeth, struggled with the slippery ground, and painstakingly moved toward the shed below, step by step.
A gust of mountain wind brought big raindrops, which started pelting down with a crackling sound.
"Hurry, hurry, we need to move faster!" Cherry Miller gritted her teeth, almost half-carrying Shelly Zhou, as they scrambled toward the shed in a panic.
Finally, just before the downpour started, the two of them stumbled into the shed.
The moment they stepped inside, torrential rain mercilessly poured down right where they had just been standing.
Splash, splash—the rain hit the ground, kicking up muddy droplets.
Raindrops splattered the earth, sending up little bursts of mud.
Cherry Miller helped Shelly Zhou sit on a chair, then started searching the shed for anything that could help them contact the outside world.
She searched all around but found nothing.
Cherry Miller sighed.
It seemed unlikely they'd be able to reach anyone at the villa tonight.
Looks like they'll have to spend the night here.
Having decided to stay, Cherry Miller quickly checked the shed for leaks and used waterproof tablecloths to block any gaps that might let in wind or rain.
Strong winds made the shed rattle, as if it might collapse at any moment.
Cherry Miller decisively pushed a table against one of the less sturdy pillars to reinforce it.
If the shed really collapsed, at least this spot would stay relatively dry.
Shelly Zhou watched Cherry Miller bustling around, so stunned that she forgot to cry.
"Why are you just sitting there? Help out!" Cherry Miller was so busy her feet barely touched the ground. She turned around and saw Shelly Zhou sitting dazed. "Hand me that piece of wood! We have to stay in this shed tonight. If it gets blown down, we'll have nowhere to hide!"
"Oh, oh, okay." Shelly Zhou finally lifted her injured leg and handed the stick to Cherry Miller.
After Cherry Miller finished reinforcing all the windows and supports, she was exhausted, gasping for breath as she sat down on a chair.
The wind grew stronger, and the rain heavier.
Cherry Miller stared out at the rain, lost in thought.
Without her to direct things, who knew what was happening back at Sunset Manor?
At that moment, the atmosphere inside the villa at Sunset Manor was far from good.
"What did you say? Cherry hasn't come back?" Seeing the workers and servants return from searching, but Cherry Miller still missing, Charles Yin couldn't sit still anymore.
Yina Yin kept calling Cherry Miller's phone, but no one answered. "Cherry never ignores calls on purpose. Either her phone's lost, or there's no signal."
The head of security immediately said, "The whole mountain has full signal coverage. There's no way there's no signal."
"What are you waiting for? Go search!" Charles Yin got anxious and rushed outside.
Just as he reached the door, a huge bolt of lightning struck not far from the villa.
"I'm coming with you." Yina Yin grabbed a raincoat and started putting it on.
"Yina, wait at home. I'll go myself." Charles Yin stopped her. "We can't have too many people out there, or rescue efforts will be even harder if something happens."
"Brother!" Yina Yin protested anxiously. "I can't just stay here!"
"Gu Miao, hold Yina back and keep an eye on everyone. No one is allowed to leave until I return," Charles Yin ordered firmly.
"Alright, but be careful." Gu Miao nodded. "They probably haven't eaten tonight. Take some water and food with you."
"Got it." Charles Yin quickly had the kitchen prepare food and water, packed them in a waterproof bag, and dashed into the pouring rain.
"Gu Miao, you're holding me back too!" Yina Yin complained unhappily.
"Charles and I were trained to handle extreme conditions since childhood. Who here has that kind of experience?" Gu Miao said firmly. "This rain is so heavy, there could be mudslides or landslides at any moment. Only those with proper training can react quickly enough! Yina, your bodyguards aren't here yet, and no one can guarantee your safety, so everyone has to stay put. Don't worry—Charles knows what he's doing, and Cherry is smart enough not to put herself in danger!"
Everyone else in the house nodded in agreement.
Yun Shuang spoke up, "Sis, don't worry. It'll be fine."
Yina Yin finally calmed down. "But Cherry is really having a tough time."
"This is the path she chose," Gu Miao said meaningfully. "Alright, everyone, stop gathering here and go rest in your rooms. Dinner will be delivered to each room, so please eat in your rooms tonight."
After speaking, Gu Miao told the security chief, "Keep the main gate secure. No one is allowed to leave."
"Yes, Young Master Gu." The security chief turned to lock the door.
The guests who had come for the banquet quietly returned to their rooms. No one dared to object.
Jiang You looked troubled and hurried back to his room, even forgetting to tease Jiao Yanyan.
Charles Yin held up a lantern and followed the path where the servants had split from Cherry Miller, calling her name as he walked: "Cherry, Cherry, where are you?"
Cherry Miller, shivering in the cold shed, thought she heard someone calling her name.
Cherry Miller sat up straight and asked Shelly Zhou, "Listen, isn't someone calling our names?"
Shelly Zhou listened hesitantly and said, "I think so."
Cherry Miller hurriedly opened the door, not caring about the cold rain slapping her face, and shouted, "I'm here! Is someone coming?"
Charles Yin heard Cherry Miller's voice and quickened his pace, rushing toward the sound.
Through the rainy night, a tall figure suddenly appeared in Cherry Miller's sight.
Cherry Miller's eyes instantly filled with tears.
All these years, she'd never longed so desperately for someone to come looking for her on a stormy night.
Tonight, it finally happened.
The figure came closer and closer. Even though Cherry Miller still couldn't see him clearly, she couldn't help but shout, "We're over here in the shed! Be careful!"
"Got it." The moment Charles Yin heard Cherry Miller's voice, his anxious heart finally settled.
Thank goodness—they'd been found!
Cherry, I've found you!
I won't let you be scared anymore!
I'm here to stay with you!
Cherry Miller stared, her eyes wide in disbelief.
She'd thought it was just a bodyguard coming to find her and Shelly Zhou, but she never expected it would be Charles Yin himself!
How did he make it through such a storm?